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In this week’s Torah portion donations were given to the Tabernacle. The donations were so great that Moses had more than enough. This is a trait of a Torah based society that they are willing to give more than is necessary. This is why the Torah places limits on how much one can give.

The Torah emphasizes the importance of keeping the Shabbat. When we read what is prohibited to do on Shabbat realize that there is something much deeper than just not working.

Haman was the most powerful man in the world during the story of Purim. But he could not get over the fact that Mordecai knew that he really was nothing. Haman was full of hubris and that was his downfall.

It is clear in the Megillah that God is directing the action. While He is not mentioned explicitly, we can see His hand in the action.

The reason that we do not say Hallel on Purim is that the status of Jews did not change in the story. They were subjects of Achashverosh at the beginning of the story and at the end. The only thing that changed was that they survived.

Mordecai could have bowed to Haman. But he knew that would be wrong thing to do at that time. We learn from this that we are obligated to stand up to evil.

The episode of the Golden Calf is amazing. These were witnesses to the actual Exodus, they crossed the Sea of Reeds. They were at Mount Sinai. Yet they built an idol to worship. It should be remembered that the hard part was to get Egypt out of the Jews.

Bezalel was chosen to design the Tabernacle. First it was due to his wisdom. But more importantly it was it was due to his humility. He would any job that needed to be done, no matter how lowly.

The Torah commands that each Jewish man give a half shekel for the maintenance of the Tabernacle. The fact that it is a half and not a whole emphasizes that in order to be able to attain holiness we need a community. We cannot do it alone.

Today is the anniversary of Moses’s passing. He was the ultimate leader. He knew when to stand up and when to not stand. Interestingly, he is not mentioned in this week’s reading, this shows his humility.